Melrose Targeting New Playground, Softball Field Upgrades, More

MELROSE, MA — The mayor is pushing significant improvements to parks and recreation, including the creation of the city's first inclusive playground.

The City Council on Wednesday night is scheduled to vote on appropriating $475,000 of free cash to support Mayor Paul Brodeur's #MelrosePlays initiative.

Of the funding, $200,000 would go to the construction of an inclusive playground at Volunteer Park, $200,000 to major improvements to the Lebanon Street softball field and $75,000 to a pickleball court.

The order also includes $27,500 to address the water chestnut problem at Ell Pond.

An inclusive playground is one that goes beyond basic wheelchair accessibility, purposefully designing a space where people of all abilities can play together.

"Every park has a little bit of something accessible, but wouldn’t it be wonderful to have one park that had a lot of everything in it, that’s truly inclusive for everyone with or without disabilities," Joan Bell, superintendent of Mount Hood and Open Spaces, said on the mayor's podcast.

Broduer hopes to leverage community input in the park's creation.

"The aim is to create an accessible space that’s attractive to users of all ages and abilities," he said. "When you look at what other communities have done it's really incredible and this would be such an asset to the City, and frankly our surrounding communities."

The proposed softball field improvements are meant to bring the park's quality in line with boys' sports fields. They include upgrading the infield grass and clay areas, extending the fence lines for older players, adding roofs to the dugouts, adding bleachers, new playground equipment and more.

"Success breeds success, and that equity piece really matters," Brodeur said. "There’s a certain pride of place when they see the town is investing in their sport."

The pickleball court would provide a designated space for a sport that has skyrocketed in popularity with older players.

"It’s so important for our public spaces to be age-friendly, and this initiative is a step in the right direction," Executive Director of the Melrose Council on Aging Stacey Minchello said.

Mike Carraggi can be reached at mike.carraggi@patch.com. Follow him on Twitter @PatchCarraggi and Instagram at Melrose Happening. Subscribe to Melrose Patch for free local news and alerts and like us on Facebook.